Billy Joel penned a huge hit in We Didn't Start the Fire (Columbia 1989). It expressed the angst of a generation, perhaps two. The theme is recurrent in the refrain:
"We didn't start the fireIt was always burning, since the world's been turningWe didn't start the fireNo, we didn't light it, but we tried to fight it"
See, the point is that the world was in a state of general higgeldy piggeldy and that was not his generation's fault. Various perspectives adopted it, and perhaps many felt no ownership or responsibility for various challenges that Joel selected. Whether those issues truly caused him angst or merely rhymed well we shall never know.
Examples from the lyrics include: "Red China," "Joe McCarthy," "Richard Nixon," "North Korea, South Korea," "H-bomb, Sugar Ray, Panmunjom," "Vaccine," "Joseph Stalin,"Communist Bloc," "Dien Bien Phu," "Elvis Presley, Disneyland," "Princess Grace, Peyton Place, Trouble in the Suez," "Little Rock, "Bridge on the River Kwai," "children of thalidomide," "Castro, Edsel," "Psycho, Belgians in the Congo," Ole Miss," "Malcolm X," "Bay of Pigs," "JFK - blown away," and so much more.
It was a troubling time, 1989. President Reagan had stood up to the communists and stared down the "Evil Empire." There was some wonder about where that would lead. The Berlin Wall soon fell that year. By 1991, the United Soviet Socialist Republic (USSR) was no more. Communism and Socialism had lost. Capitalism was king (well, for a day perhaps).
In 2023, a band called Fall Out Boy (a punk band) covered the song (Elektra Records). Well, "covered" is perhaps a poor description. It copied the refrain and emulated the style. However, the cited agents of angst were new and updated. The fears of 1989 had given way, it seems, to a whole litany of modern challenges for a new generation.
These include: "Arab Spring, L.A. riots, Rodney King," "Deep fakes," "Oklahoma City bomb," "GMOs, Harry Potter, Twilight, Michael Jackson," "Nuclear accident, Fukushima," "Crimean Peninsula," Kim Jong Un," "More war in Afghanistan," "Obama," "Unabomber," "bombing Boston Marathon," "Trump gets impeached twice," "Y2K," "Brexit, Kanye West and Taylor Swift," "Sandy Hook, Columbine," "George Floyd," "YouTube killed MTV," "Elon Musk," "Jeff Bezos, climate change," "World trade," and more.
There is parallel in the music, the style, and the approach. There is also similarity in the threats. Note that Korea is in each ("North Korea" and "Kim Jong Un"). The threat from Russia is present in each ("Communist Bloc" and "Crimean Peninsula"). Notice that each notes politicians, trouble spots in the world, and domestic challenges. Each includes some reference to change in pop culture and our personal distractions.
It is rare that I enjoy a remake much. I refuse to even dignify some efforts as "remakes." There are "repeat" movies I have never seen. But, I digress. That said, I like both versions of We Didn't Start the Fire. The idea is catchy, and the update is pertinent and thought-provoking. I immediately wondered if some rapper or country singer will similarly cover it in 2057 with yet another update of concerns?
Troubling as many of these topics may be, however, do they really capture what is causing people angst and concern? Or, are there issues that touch people more profoundly and personally?
When the next update is captured, perhaps there is some chance for challenging topics such as:
- Rampant inflation
- Corrosive divisiveness
- Disrespect
- The Federal deficit and debt
- Exaltation of minutia over substance
- Ad hominem attacks
- Failed 4th Estate
- The end of the rule of law
- Runaway equity in the eye of the beholder
- The demise of listening
- Ignorance celebrated
At the end of the day, Wendy Syfrett likely phrased our posture and probabilities best with
“I’m just a chunk of meat hurtling through space on a rock. Futile and meaningless.”
Indeed. On a rock, without steering or other control. Hurtling. Yes, this rock is traveling at a great pace through the galaxy and spinning constantly. There is no controlling it. There is no control over other people, their conflicts, preferences, and idiosyncrasies. As society breaks down into various elements for the penultimate "us versus them," there is much in which we might find fear.
There is great interest in Hollywood depictions of zombie attacks and potential apocalypse. Imagine being surrounded by wholly subordinate, singularly focused, relentless, and deeply flawed beings incessantly pursuing their goals. The theme is troubling, but thankfully it is a mere Hollywood trope. Thank goodness.
In the chaos that surrounds us, there are those who find both intrigue and joy. There is an element among us of radicals, terrorists, nihilists, subversives, and insurrectionists. There is a population whose ultimate goal is destruction. They label it and gloss it as some perception of progress and improvement, but their goals are all about destruction, subversion, and sabotage. It is not about progress, but about ruination. It is frankly troubling to watch and difficult to understand.
In a nation founded upon freedoms, many find themselves too frequently silenced by fear. In a nation of laws, too many find it convenient to both disrespect and disregard the law. In a nation of due process, there is too often the tendency to instead celebrate expediency over dignity. There is too often a failure of discourse and courtesy. And at the root of it all is seemingly the rule of law.
But, in the end, there is not enough law, courtrooms, or other tools to deal with the volume of challenges we face. In fact, there is a foundation of societal morality, humility, and civility upon which the law is built and rests. It is that foundation that is cracked, and its failure could ultimately undermine whatever structures we place upon it.
What keeps us up at night? Is it who will win the next sports championship? Is it where our next meal will come from? Is it in the latest appearance of some faux celebrity inexplicably followed by millions of sycophantic social media zombies? Is it in the next insipid video challenge to sweep the nation with distraction?
Perhaps all such things have a degree of merit. Importance is in the eye of the beholder. At least from the pop culture perspective, perhaps, each item in We Didn't Start the Fire is a valid reminder of the vast spectrum of issues that various people find important. Perhaps the spectrum is a reminder of just how different we all are.
